Teen streams video of Dad while he is having a heart attack on Facebook Live. The young man makes no apologies. He says he wants the public to see what it’s like living in a home with a parent who doesn’t listen to doctors, continues to eat poorly, and refuses to exercise. So when his father had yet another “episode” as he puts it, Markus Adams decided to pick up his phone to record instead of dialing 911.

“You can hear his friends in the background making comments like ” eat another twinkie or bet you wish you exercised now.” One of the teens in the house did call 911 after several minutes passed.”

The first responder on the scene was a police officer who also decided to snap a few shots of the man who by this point had lost consciousness. Once the EMT’s arrived on the scene, the patient was rushed to the hospital where he made a full recovery.

Enter a caption

The hospital released a statement saying: these overweight patients typically have Type 2 Diabetes as well as Heart Disease. They have noticed that as soon these patients are stabilized they get up and leave the hospital. An ER Doctor said the most concerning thing to him is that these overweight Diabetics with Heart Disease are stopping at the snack machines before they even make it out of the hospital.

Even after almost dying because of the choices they continue to make regarding nutrition, exercise, medication maintenance these food junkies make those same decisions. These Junk Food Junkies practically run across the threshold of the hospital, so they can continue smoking after being told time and again that if they continue, they will die.

How do you feel about this story? Is it right for anyone to record a medical emergency? What do you think about Police Officers taking photos of people that are in danger of dying instead of administering care and comfort at the very least until backup arrives?

We don’t see photos or stories like the one told above online or on our evening news because it’s wrong to exploit people who find themselves in a life or death situation due to a disease. Unless of course, the person being photographed or videotaped suffers from Substance Use Disorder and is merely dying of an overdose.

When people make excuses for mistreatment of individuals with Substance Use Disorder one of their favorite arguments is the “it’s a choice.” What about the person with Type 2 Diabetes that refuses to stop smoking, drinking, eating cake pops and who’s idea of exercise is walking to the fridge?

The hurtful words used in this article were only used to give an example of the harsh tones and words used when speaking about not only those who suffer from Substance Use Disorder but also when speaking to those who love someone with Substance Use Disorder. It just goes to show that words hurt.

No matter what your opinion on Substance Use Disorder, it’s wrong to take photos and videos of people who are in need of medical care. There is no doubt about that; wrong is wrong.

Note: The beginning of this story is fiction. I also wish I didn’t need to use the awful terms I used to describe people who struggle with their weight but I felt it was necessary to drive home how individuals who have Substance Use Disorder are minimized and shamed in everyday conversation. Please know I don’t use these terms and don’t think it is right to be mean to anyone.

2 comments on “Video Teen Takes Of Dad's Heart Attack Goes Viral”

JoAnn,
great topic I believe that I can approach from a different angle. I wholeheartedly agree with you that the “choice” argument is prevelent in nonaddicts at an alarming level. Unfortunately Nancy Regan helped with that misinformation during her “just say no” campaign at the beginning of the “war on drugs”. Sadly these were just misdirections to the underlying true new policy, the “prison industry” and garnering public support for the warehousing of our nations addicts, mentally Ill and poor for a profit to the counties, states, guard unions, and multitude of corporations that sprung up to cater to every aspect of incarceration that could be privatized. The spirit of the law was violated through semantics and ambiguity to increase the amount of charges that could be filed to insure convictions. Terminology was changed to instill fear and sway public opinion, petty theft became retail theft, burglary became home invasion, auto theft became a carjacking, levels were lowered to make fights become felony assault and addicts were hit the hardest with “mandatory minimums” for the once misdemeanor simple posession.Programs for prisoners that were proven to reduce recidivism such as trade schools and college courses were slowly phased out to increase profits and keep the prisons full. To fund this cuts were made to education, medicare/medicaid state hospitals were closed and the class divide increased as most families survived on less in one year than it cost to imprison an addict for that same year. Studies have proven that remedial measures are far more effective and less costly than imprisonment for addicts but we must overcome this stigma that addiction is a choice created in no small part by these policies that enrich Americas largest business, the prison industry. America comprises 5% of the worlds population yet houses over 25% of the worlds prisoners in this supposed “Land of the Free”, our children, this countries future, are no longer guaranteed an adequate education but are promised a prison cell when they cannot support themselves. History has proven that our nations leaders will change draconian policies instituted for profit when the public unites and demands change. That can only happen through information campaigns and I applaud your work on behalf of addicts as I myself am in recovery with five years twenty three days clean and sober as well as a former prisoner.

Sorry, it has taken so long for me to respond to you. There were so many messages on the article and to be honest I was tired of reading the arguing and calling one another names. I love what you sent to me. You make a lot of sense. It is scary to think that this was all a well-laid plan by out government and that it is still working well for them. I hope that you are well and I would love to read more.